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- The Know Daily - Tuesday 19 March 2024
The Know Daily - Tuesday 19 March 2024
š Flying taxis could soon take to UK skies, the upcycled food trend + a job at Antarcticaās āpenguin post officeā.
Read in 5m 19s ā Listening to Herās ā
š Flying taxis could soon take to UK skies
š„¬ Why upcycled food is the next big thing
ā½ A shake-up in how football is governed
A UK-based campaign āI am not a typoā is calling on tech giants such as Microsoft to update their name dictionaries and fix auto-correct so that āall first names are treated equally by our technologyā. The group found that 41% of baby names in England and Wales in 2021 were flagged by Microsoft as ātyposā, prompting them to launch a billboard campaign š in response.
š Call a cab
The first flying taxi could take to UK skies as early as 2026, under new government plans announced on Monday.
Hold up - flying taxis?!
Thatās right. The proposals are part of the Department for Transportās Future of Flight action plan, which was developed in partnership with the aerospace industry.
According to BBC News, while there are a number of different models, most flying taxis ālook like a futuristic helicopterā and carry about five people. And while the first flying taxis to take to the skies would be piloted, driverless models could become a reality by 2030, according to the plan.
Just how achievable is that target?
It remains to be seen. Flying taxis are already undergoing the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) authorisation process, noted The Independent. But as BBC News pointed out, hurdles such as āinfrastructure and public acceptanceā need to be overcome before flying taxis are a regular feature in UK skies.
Craig Roberts, head of drones at consultancy firm PwC, told the BBC that the 2026 target was āchallenging, but possibleā. He said that flying taxis would likely start off as a replacement for helicopters, before going more mainstream.
Anything else I should know?
While flying taxis are by far the most eye-catching measure in the plan, it is full of other proposals aimed at expanding drone technology in the UK.
The Department for Transport also outlined plans to allow drones to fly beyond visual line of sight - meaning the person controlling the drone cannot see it in the air - and predicts the regular use of unmanned drones by 2027 to transport medical supplies, deliver post in rural areas and track criminals on the run.
Last year, New York City mayor Eric Adams unveiled a similar plan to use electric air taxis by 2026 to fly people to and from the cityās airports on āquiet, emissions-free journeysā.
šāāļø TRIVIA TIME
Which fruit has just broken the Guinness World Record for being the heaviest of its kind ever recorded?
A) Apple
B) Guava
C) Blueberry
Scroll to the very bottom for the answer.
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